C106 · globular cluster

47 Tucanae

47 Tucanae or 47 Tuc is a globular cluster located in the constellation Tucana.

RA00h 24m 05sDec−72° 04' 53"

Image: Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration Acknowledgment: J. Mack (STScI) and G. Piotto (University of Padova, Italy). CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Identity & coordinates

Identification

Primary designation: C106
All designations: C106 · NGC 104 · 47 Tucanae
Object type: Globular Cluster
Constellation: Tucana
Best viewing: Autumn

Coordinates & physical

Right ascension (J2000): 00h 24m 05s
Declination (J2000): −72° 04' 53"
Apparent magnitude (V): —
Distance: —

III

Visibility tonight

The science

47 Tucanae or 47 Tuc is a globular cluster located in the constellation Tucana. It is about 4.45 ± 0.01 kpc (14,500 ± 32.6 ly) from Earth, and 120 light years in diameter. 47 Tuc can be seen with the naked eye, with an apparent magnitude of 4.1. It appears about 44 arcminutes across including its far outreaches. Due to its far southern location, 18° from the south celestial pole, it was not catalogued by European astronomers until the 1750s, when the cluster was first identified by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille from South Africa.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia · CC-BY-SA-4.0